Another World Away
by Kaishei
Summary: Continues where Primeval: New World left off. Title graciously suggested by TerraChasma.
1. Chapter 1

**I couldn't help it, I'm sorry. So let me know what you think, I already know I have a problem with POV's and tenses; I'm all for constructive criticism. Should I continue this, or leave it as a one-shot? If I were to continue it, I have a rough outline of where it would go, but I'm open to suggestions. I can't lie, every time I re-read this, the funnier it appears to me. Do let me know if I am the only one who finds this funny (and I'm not talking about the plot and whatnot, merely the _way_ I have written it).**

_**PS**_**, I have no idea what noises dinosaurs make... they now roar.**

* * *

The silence was deafening.

For a moment, nothing moved. Even their heavy breathing couldn't reach their ears, their minds unable to comprehend... or maybe they were simply thinking too fast to take in the possible stimuli around them. Had anything dared to appear in that moment, there is no question that they would have been far too vulnerable; a state that they can't afford to linger in.

The silence was pierced by a broken whisper.

"No..."

Evan twisted his face, a pitiful attempt to regain control over the wild emotions threatening to break free. It was a pointless task that only succeeded in making his face ache with a physical pain that his body could barely recognize, already made numb by the emotional emptiness that swept through him as his feelings came to a boiling point.

"No."

Evan spoke stronger this time, shaking his head in disbelief.

"No."

His hands slapped at the floor, sending clouds of dust to form in the air around him and consequently cascade down into his face.

"No no no no NO!"

He continued to smack at the floor, dragging his body forward slightly from where he lay, as if it would change anything. He couldn't think. The fine dust that he had released floated lazily in the air, making it difficult to breathe, the turmoil of emotions sitting heavy in his chest already. He couldn't believe that this was happening, he couldn't help but rewind every part of the day, thinking that if he had done this, or if he had done that, that they wouldn't be stuck in this moment right now. This was all his fault. It had to be.

He eventually calmed down, tired by his child-like temper tantrum, and dropped his forehead to the floor, mindless of the dirt that now caked his face and body.

It was all his fault.

Maybe he should have let Colonel Hall take the Albertosaurus. Surely then this wouldn't be happening? The world would have changed, the timeline would have been rearranged, but wouldn't less people have been hurt? Brooke would still be alive, and he would have never hurt Ange by dragging her into all this mess; Cross Photonics would have been a real company, not just a side project or a front to hide a ridiculous (and futile) hunt. Leeds would still be where he belongs, in some run-down office, a laughing stock. He wouldn't have a chance to betray people, to be a liar, to lie to _him_. Mac... Mac wouldn't be... and Toby! Toby wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed fighting for her life. _I wonder if the tail got to her in time... I hope so... I couldn't... I can't... if she..._ Sam... Bill... And Tony! Tony Drake. Good old Tony, someone who was his friend for so long, someone who _believed_ in him. Another person Evan had dragged down, dragged to his death. He wouldn't have died, he would still be working, working with his partner, someone he adored like a daughter. God did Tony talk about her a lot; Dylan was the youngest of the predator control team and the apple of his eye (as he'd heard Mac say once). Dylan... Dylan!

Evan snaps his head up with a gasp, breathing in the dust-filled air and causing his throat to itch. He fights back the urge to retch as he frantically looks for his partner. He tries to call out for her, but chokes on the air instead and begins to cough. Squinting, he tries to find her, but the air surrounding him is still thick with fine dirt; the aftermath of his tortured soul.

He pushes himself to his knees, breathing heavily for a moment, and finally pushes himself up off the ground. Blinking quickly at the change, he realizes he is wobbling, and quickly corrects himself, bending his knees and leaning on them.

"Dylan!" Evan calls again, his throat now clear. He looks around, still light-headed, but spots no sign of her. _Maybe... Maybe she got through... _he dares to think, a flicker of hope burning within him. But that hope is quickly doused as he stumbles forward.

"Dylan!"

As he hurries forward, he fails to notice the possible dangers that surround him; the ground below him seemingly disappears, and he slips. The slope in the ground is by no means steep, and only several metres long at most before the uneven slope flattens again. Easy to handle when aware of its presence, a threat when not. By this point, Evan has, luckily, began to become more aware, his brain kicking back into reality, and he manages to prevent himself falling forward.

He grunts as his backside hits the hard ground, but grits his teeth and ignores his aching body. He scrambles down the rest of the slope and falls to his knees beside his unmoving colleague.

"Dylan?" he asks unsurely, his hands hovering hesitantly over her. Pausing to glance behind him, Evan begins to run scenarios in his head. Looking back to his unconscious colleague, he begins to assess her status.

Unconscious. Dirty. Blood.

Pulse, check.

Breathing, check.

He carefully rolls her onto her back and pushes her hair away from her face. Fresh blood. She's dirty, almost as dirty as he is, and the blood that stains the left side of her face looks much more menacing against her pale skin than the small smudges from minor scratches she still sports from earlier in the day.

He softly runs his hand across her skin, looking for the wound, and sighs in relief when he finds it, already clotting, just past her hairline. He scans over the rest of her body, looking for any obvious wounds or broken bones, finding none, he leans back and tries to figure out what to do next.

A glance to the sky confirms one of his fears; it's going to be dark soon.

He closes his eyes for a moment, trying to figure out how much time had passed since _it_ had happened, his watch, now cracked and useless, providing no help. He releases a heavy sigh once he realizes that he truly has no idea.

Turning back to Dylan, and cupping her face, he calls out to her, trying to rouse her.

_'That's not going to work, y'know!'_

Evan freezes as a familiar voice echoes through his head.

_'She's knocked out Evan! She won't wake up until she's ready.'_

He shakes his head, trying to ignore the distant voice. He doesn't want to think of her, to remember her. Not _now._ She's _gone_. The fact that he had just sent Brooke her death sentence doesn't stop him from checking behind him anyway.

Evan is snapped back into reality as the head in his hands begins to move.

"Careful!" he calls as she twists out of his grip, rolling over onto her stomach.

Dylan tries to push herself up with shaky arms which give way beneath her. Evan crawls back up to her, helping her up as she begins to cough, which quickly gives way to retching.

Using one hand, he pushes against her sternum to hold her off the ground and pulls her hair back with the other, feeling positive in his prediction of what comes next. Sure enough, she begins to vomit, bringing back up the little food she had managed to consume in the morning, blissfully unaware of the horrors that the day would bring.

Giving her a few minutes to recover, he carefully moves himself behind her and pulls her back. "Dylan, can you hear me?" he asks, lying her back down on the floor and crouching beside her.

She looks up at him blankly for a moment, before dropping her head to the side, her cheek against the floor. "Dylan, don't do that," Evan says slowly, placing his hand underneath her head to raise it from the rough ground, aware that any aggravation of her cut will only make the situation worse.

"Ev'n," she mutters, waving her arm out to the side to grab at him. He uses his free hand to grab at hers, "yeah, it's me. I'm here."

"Wh't happ'nd" she asks, her words slurred. "I think you've got a concussion," Evan responds, speaking loudly and clearly, resisting the urge to tilt her head up to look at him when he notices that she's still staring vacantly at his boots.

He watches as she frowns and pulls her at her bottom lip with her teeth. After a minute or so, she begins to speak, but trails off. "Is'not what I..."

Evan sighs, realizing what she's asking.

"No, we... we didn't make it through the anomaly. We're stuck here for the moment, but we'll be ok, ok? I- You'll be ok." Noticing her lazy blinking, he begins to talk again. "Dylan, Dylan you need to stay awake, ok? Don't fall asleep on me now, we gotta get somewhere safe before it gets dark."

"I'm going to help you up, ok?"

He doesn't receive a response, but he didn't expect one. He delicately slides his hand out from under her head, placing it back on the floor, and stands up. He stands behind her and grips her under her arms, heaving her up off the floor. Not letting go, he speaks to her, "you ok?"

It takes a moment for her to respond, "dun feel so good. Thisssucks."

He laughs, relieved that she's even complaining. _Any sign of her personality coming round can't be a bad thing at this point._

"You think you can stand?" he asks her, doubtful. She pauses before answering unsurely, "yyy-es." He scoffs, leaning his head forward to speak into her ear, "that didn't even sound convincing." She turns her head to look at him, "is that'a chall'nge?"

"Ordinarily, I would let you try and fail, but right now, this isn't the moment, so save your stubbornness for another time." Before she has a chance to retort, he swiftly moves an arm under her legs and picks her up. As he predicted, she begins to squirm in his arms, pushing against his chest weakly.

He sends her a pointed look, clearly telling her to stop. She sighs and gives up, leaning into him. "What now?" she asks quietly. Evan can't help but notice the defeated tone in her voice and silently begs her to stay strong, it won't take much for him to give up if she does.

Gripping at her tighter, he begins to look around. "Next? Next we find a tree to hide in for the night and hope we don't come across any flying monsters or really big dinosaurs," he says, attempting to sound upbeat. "Or bugs," she mumbles, gripping onto his vest. "Or bugs," he repeats, resisting the urge to shiver at the memory. "Or pre'storic squirr'ls," Dylan continues.

Evan stops walking, "you're really not helping me stay positive right now Dylan." Looking down, he can't help but smile at the smirk that sits on her face. There's a twinkle in her eyes that makes him think that maybe they'll be alright after all.

* * *

A distant roaring jolts them both out of their fitful sleep, the noise startling them even closer, despite already being squished together on three overlapping branches. Neither could see the other through the darkness, the lack of stars making their situation seem even more foreign and frightening.

Evan pulls Dylan closer to him, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and she grips at his t-shirt. He covertly runs his hand over the branch, stopping when he comes to familiar material, and checks that their self-made harnesses', made from what was previously their gun holsters, were still tight and in place.

"If you were cold you could'a just asked for one of my jackets," Dylan murmurs into his shoulder. He chuckles, leaning his head on top of hers. "I'm more of a body heat kinda man myself," he responds. They fall quiet again, the distant noises of the alien environment as a background.

Another roar breaks the silence, causing them both to grip the other even harder.

"We'll be ok," Evan reassures her, and himself, "we'll be ok."

She responds by snuggling into him harder, to which he wraps his other arm around her. "Jus' don't want you to be cold," she needlessly explains. Comforted by the heartbeat against her own, Dylan drops into sleep again, Evan following soon after.


	2. Chapter 2

**Idek what is going on. Shh, just go with it. I know the first chapter was better, it'll probably only get worse. Just like everything else I attempt.**

* * *

_"Evan..."_

_My name is carried as a whisper in the wind that softly caresses my face as it passes me by. My body feels light, and my mind is the picture of blissful serenity._

_More words are whispered past me, and though many I cannot make out, one word strikes me with dread; "sleep."_

_My drowsy state flashes away and immediately I am on my feet, twisting and turning to find the whisperers, but I am met with nothing._

_All around me is white, a white that reflects upon itself and it brings tears to my eyes as I am forced to squint through the brightness._

_A hand on my shoulder sends me spinning, an invisible gun held in my hands. The force propels me backwards, and as I brace myself for a contact that the fall is sure to cause, I find myself instead pushed forward again until I find my balance; held by invisible hands that stroke at my body before disappearing again._

_"Brooke..." my voice croaks, as though I had held silence for years. I draw a hand up to my throat involuntarily, which drags my attention to my other hand, still holding a gun that is no longer there._

_"Brooke, what-" I begin to speak, but the figure in front of me glides forward, placing a single finger upon my lips. Her other hand clasps at the one I still hold to my throat._

_I feel no longer tranquil, but panicked._

_"Oh Evan..." she sighs, "what have you done?"_

_Her hand moves from my lips to my neck, and pulls me down. As we kiss, I begin to feel calm again, but the body beneath me is cold and I find myself stepping backwards._

_"This is wrong," I say, breaking our hands apart and stepping further away._

_"This _is_ wrong," she repeats._

_I freeze and she moves forward to me again._

_"You were supposed to change it Evan," she whispers, her lips so close to mine. Her arms are now around my shoulders, and she continues on. "You were given this chance so that you could save me, change everything."_

_I frown as I consider the possibility, she pushes on with her speech through my silence._

_"Think of how much better everything could have been, we could have been _together._"_

_In the back of my head I can hear Toby's voice; "but you wouldn't be **you** anymore."_

_"Think of how many people would never have died."_

_I can almost feel Mac's hand on my shoulder as he speaks; "everyone dies in the end, death by dinosaur is a helluva lot more exciting than a heart attack!" I smile at the phantom memory, knowing what comes next. Before Mac has a chance to impart his deeper thoughts however, Brooke's voice pushes away the hazy image._

_"Angelika's heart would never have been broken."_

_I close my eyes as the memories of our now fractured friendship assaults me. Pain and sadness soak through me as I think of how I held Ange back by my own selfishness, before a different memory then floats to the surface, making me feel lighter again, and I find myself opening my eyes and staring into the pleading ones of my dead wife. An extension of friendship and an unspoken promise that I would have someone on my side whilst my life was seemingly falling apart, again. More memories follow._

_I find myself speaking alongside the phantom; "we would have never even met..."_

_Brooke nearly frowns, before an unnerving smile appears on her face. "Maybe it would be better that way."_

* * *

I jolt forward, breathing heavily. Thankfully, I'm restrained, the only thing preventing me from falling quite a way. It takes a few moments to regain control of my breathing, and I barely have time to begin wondering about my dream before panic grips me once again.

"Dylan?"

I realize that I'm alone again, Dylan nowhere in sight.

_This is going to get old fast._

I un-attach myself and begin to climb down, relieved when I finally touch ground. I look around warily, cautious of anything that might be lurking.

* * *

_15 hours ago..._

I can only watch the anomaly in anticipation. Just moments previously, the dinosaur had blundered through it, and following hot on its tail, Evan, Mac and Dylan. I stand filled with dread. _It's too late to fix this._ _Something is wrong_. _I can't fix this. I was supposed to fix this! I fix all of Evan's mistakes... so why can't I fix mine?_

That brief single moment that my eyes met Dylan's as she reached for the gun, I knew. A foreboding sensation overtook my body, dragging my feet to where I now stand, chewing on my lip and wringing my hands. Childish displays of fear that I thought I had long outgrown.

"Ma'am," a voice from behind me calls. I ignore him.

With every second that passes, my mind becomes further transfixed on the words of the stranger. The stranger not from our time. The stranger... from the future. Murmurs from behind me are lost as rhythmic thumping becomes background in my ears.

Suddenly the anomaly begins to waver, a sign I had come to learn meant it was about to close.

"No!" I call out, stepping forward, but an arm pulls me back and away.

_Leeds_.

I can only growl in my mind as I realize, for the first time, just what perhaps Evan had seen when he looked at him. As the light in front of me flickers further, stronger, I struggle in the arms that hold me from my friends.

_Friends... perhaps I realized that just too late._

As the anomaly finally closes, time folding in on itself, Angelika Finch is left with an arm outstretched, eyes wide, and tears falling down her cheeks.

* * *

Evan wanders back towards the clearing that the anomaly's originally centred, it being the only place he feels somewhat familiar with, and hoping that Dylan had done the same.

He gives an audible sigh of release when he spots her in the distance, and begins to jog up to where she sits cross legged on the floor, in front of the recently deceased Albertosaurus.

"You alright?" he asks, slowing to a walk when he reaches a mere several metres away. Dylan turns her head to acknowledge him, and Evan notices as she slips her hand from the dinosaur and back into her lap.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she asks, biting her lip.

"Well, you took quite a hit to your head, I don't think you should be wandering around by yourself," Evan replies, cautious to keep his tone light. The last thing they needed right now was to become emotional, they have to stay calm.

"I'm fine," she says, shaking her head. Shimmying around slightly, she plants a half smile on her face. "Hungry?" she asks, holding up a round greyish object.

"What's that?" Evan asks, crouching down in front of her. He accepts the offered object and begins to inspect it.

"Beats me," Dylan says, "but it's edible."

Evan pauses and looks at her with brows raised, asking her the silent question: _you didn't?_

Her smile turns genuine as she shakes her head. "They grow over there," she says, pointing across the water. "I found some cracked ones on the floor, the insides had been eaten."

He frowns, "that's still pretty risky." "We don't really have much of a choice here Evan. We don't know when or even _if_ another anomaly will open."

He sighs, bringing a hand up to rub at his face. "I know, I'm sorry." He collapses himself on to the floor beside her, lying down, and holds the supposed food upwards. "What's it like then?"

"Oh I haven't tried it yet," Dylan responds nonchalantly.

Evan chuckles, "so what? You were going to see if it killed me first?"

"That's the plan!" Dylan says, winking down at him. He snorts in response, nudging her.

He spins the fruit in his hand before smashing it down on the floor, causing a crack to form on its hard shell. He nods his head, motioning for Dylan to do the same.

Evan sits up again, and together the two of them pull the shells of their fruit back. They make eye contact and simultaneously shrug their shoulders.

* * *

I watch Evan skip stones along the water, wishing the nauseous feeling that had crept up on me since eating would go away. I begin to wonder whether Evan had been right, and that maybe an alternative food should have been considered. _After all, there is an entire dead dinosaur that is only going to rot... or attract more dinosaurs._

I shake my head, confused. _Where are these thoughts coming from? This is... not me..._

In an attempt to distract myself, I pick up a pebble myself and throw one out to the water. I smirk as Evan turns to me with a pout. I plant an innocent look on my face, to which he smiles and picks up another. _Ha, another score for me._

Just as he goes to throw, I voice a thought that had long since been circling my mind. "Do you think there's any monsters in there?"

Worry flashes across his face and he drops the stone. "Uh, yeah, maybe we should stay away for a while."

As he begins to walk away, I call out to him, "it was just a thought, there might not be!" He continues to walk away, so with a final look across the water where I scan for any movement, I step back and turn to follow him.

He's stopped at the carcass again, and though I refuse to look at it myself, I stand at my place beside him as if we weren't the only two people for millions of years. I inwardly laugh, and resist the urge to ask if perhaps _this_ was how the human race got started_. Now is_ definitely_ not the right time for that joke. Any other time, any other time._

"You see something?" Evan asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

He frowns at my surprise, looking between my face and the direction I had been absently staring. Realizing I must have been frowning, I shake my head and mutter, "just thinking."

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asks, grabbing at my shoulder, "you've been spacy."

I force a smile to my face and nod, refusing to mention my nausea, my headache... my difficulty focusing. _Now is not the time to be weak. _"I'm probably just tired, ya know?"

Evan purses his lips, and I can tell he doesn't believe me, but he pats at my shoulder and nods anyway. He looks back down to the dinosaur, crouching down, and I just know I'm not going to like what he has to say.

Evan licks his lips, before looking back up to me warily, and begins to speak.


End file.
